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Thursday, June 29, 2017

During family Bible time, Gil announces that he is going to
need help with the dreaded task of cleaning out the shed. “Nasty and trash and
metal junk and dirty stuff,” is Judson’s [very accurate] description of the shed.

“Dad’s pretty good about go with the flow, unless it comes
to where he has to get rid of some of his stuff,” says Carlin.

“I can see value in things that nobody else can see,”
responds Gil.

Trace, who is currently putting the Dixie Stampede on hold and attending college, announces that he plans to try out for the Crown
basketball team, and his family is thrilled.

Partway through the shed project, Nathan finds the wire from
the zip line the Bates had at their old house, and he starts to put it up for the little
kids, but Gil puts that project on hold until the shed is finished.

When Kelly calls Carlin over to help sweep, the boys take
the opportunity to scare her with a huge, remote-controlled spider. She decides
to spend her day painting lines on the basketball court so Trace can practice.

“Can you believe the Bates are getting two things done at
once?!” exclaims Trace.

By the end of the day, the shed looks great, and
Kelly is thrilled. “I have to admit,” she tells Gil. “Stepping back and looking
at the finished project—don’t take this the wrong way—but I did not know you
had it in you.”

After the court is painted, Trace brings some of the basketball team members
over to play a game. Lawson joins in.

“Listen, me and Lawson get along in every aspect, except
sports,” says Trace. “The problem is, he wants to be the star, and I just want
the ball any time.”

“I think going to Crown has really helped me get out of
my box a lot,” says Trace. “Man, over there now, I ain’t that shy no more.” “We can’t get him to shut up,” says Nathan, smiling.

How many of you shudder whenever the Bates give viewers a look at their shed? If you do, you and Kelly Bates have something in common. But tonight, the moment the Bates mama has been waiting for has finally arrived. Watch the family pull together to transform the shed from a trash heap to usable storage space.

Trace Bates also announces that he plans to try out for the the Crown basketball team. Loving sister Carlin Bates helps him put lines on the family's new court so he can practice.

Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Zach and Whitney Bates are enjoying some time away with their kiddos this week. They made the trek down to Charleston (only a six-hour drive) to tour the city and swim in the Atlantic ocean. Have you ever visited that area of the country?

Kelly Bates is getting her longtime wish. Gil Bates and the Bates boys are finally going to clean out the shed! Although some of the workers get a bit distracted at times, the Bates mama is still thrilled that they are making an effort.

One of the distractions results in a zip line for the little kids, which gives the children something fun to do together, so Kelly really can't be upset about that, can she? Do any of you have a zip line? They're quite fun!

Michael has been smitten with Brandon from day one, telling him when he proposed that she had wanted to marry him from the moment they first met. The couple is very happy together as young marrieds, and they are beyond grateful to God for bringing them together, but Michael admits that she still has a deep desire to be a mother.

The oldest daughter of Gil and Kelly Bates, Michael has possessed a love for children from a young age.

“Everyone in the family has always predicted and said Michael is going to be the one that has a really, super large family," Kelly tells viewers during the recent "Doggy Dilemmas" episode. "She loves children. She rejoices when another person is pregnant as much as we do, but at the same time…there’s got to be that feeling of, ‘I wish I could be pregnant and join them.’”

After marrying Brandon in August 2015 and graduating from Roane State Community College the following spring, Michael began to wonder why she hadn't yet gotten pregnant. She had tests done, and the doctors told her not to give the subject any more thought until she had been married a year.

Following the Keilens' one-year anniversary, they visited a specialist, who ran further tests but was still unable to find a solution.

"Night after night, I cried myself to sleep and felt like all my dreams and desires were shattered," Michael writes on her website. "Each night, Brandon held me close and let me cry until I had no more tears. He prayed with me and assured me that God had a plan and knew what He was doing. Yet, I had become so focused on the one thing I didn’t have that I was doubting God and His goodness."

On one particular night, when Michael's heartache was very great, Brandon shared words of encouragement that spoke to the deepest parts of her heart.

"Brandon encouraged me to be honest with God and ask for His grace to trust again," Michael writes. "As I began asking God to help me see Him again and to give me grace to trust, He started changing my heart. As I searched for verses and meditated on who God is, my perspective changed. Not only has God shown me His hand of provision on the medical side of this walk (finding doctors, searching for answers, providing finances), He also has allowed me to see how this time has knit our hearts together as a couple. Even greater still, God has allowed me to see a glimpse of Him. The fellowship I’ve had with my Heavenly Father is unlike anything I dreamed possible. He truly has become my everything, and I’m learning that no matter what situation or circumstance life throws at me, Jesus Christ is the only one that can fully satisfy."

Michael admits that she still struggles and that her tears flow often, but in the midst of the pain, she has a peace that surpasses all understanding, knowing that God can be trusted no matter what.

Friday, June 23, 2017

While they appear sweet and gentle most of the time, the Bates women all have a competitive side, especially Erin Bates Paine and Tori Bates. During their jiu-jitsu class, Erin admits that all she wants to do is take people down. And Tori ends up punching the instructor in the face! Here's a deleted scene from last night's episode that you'll enjoy.

Gil decides to teach the new drivers some basic car
mechanics. “Bates cars break down a lot,” says Nathan.

“I’m pretty sure with everything, my mom and dad teach the
first few kids, and then they feel like they’ve taught all of us, but they
forget that they have 19,” says Tori.

“It was great for all of us to learn some of the things that Dad told us, but really in all reality, we’re going to call Dad if our car
breaks down because that’s what he’s there for,” says Carlin, laughing.

Later, Erin, Whitney, Tori, Carlin, Josie, and Katie visit
the jiu-jitsu instructor to learn self-defense, but they are caught off-guard
when he has them warm up with jogging and pushups.

They jog across the room, and both Carlin and Whitney fall
into the wall at the end. Carlin makes two holes with her knees, on either side of a stud.

“Here we are with this little group of homeschool girls,” laughs Erin. “I mean, it hadn’t been five minutes, and we had already put a hole
in the wall.”

After the instructor makes sure everyone is okay, he teaches
the girls how to block a punch, take someone down, and choke them until they pas out.

On another day that week, Zach, Whitney, Erin, and Chad meet
at The Cutting Edge Classroom for a cooking class. When the instructor announces
that they will be making bruschetta with basil and mozzarella, as well as chicken
piccata, Zach jokes that he should have taken an Italian language class before
coming. They end up loving the meal.

“It’s always good to remember that no matter the amount of
time that’s been by, no matter the hard things that you’ve been through, the
good things that you’ve been through, you can always, always enjoy good food,”
says Zach, sentimentally.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

"To me it looks like a dead frog, and if it tastes like that, I'm going to throw up."-Erin Bates Paine

Are you enjoying the new Bates Around the World video series? In this clip, sisters-in-law Erin Paine and Whitney Bates try candies from Mexico, Finland, the United Kingdom, and China...and their reactions are priceless. Have you had any of the treats that they are sampling?

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

"Ever since I got married, I really fell in love with cooking. ...It's relaxing"-Erin Paine"I learned to cook because I love food."-Zach Bates

Siblings Zach Bates and Erin (Bates) Paine both enjoy being creative in the kitchen, although their reasons are quite different. Eager for an excuse to go out on a double date, they convince their spouses to take a culinary class at The Cutting Edge Classroom in nearby Knoxville, Tennessee. Check out this promo video for tomorrow's new episode.

Tuesday, June 20, 2017

It's a week of learning for the Bates clan. Judson Bates and Jeb Bates have had their fun, and now its the girls' turn to practice self-defense moves with the jiu-jitsu instructor. Later, Gil Bates decides that his younger drives need to know basic vehicle mechanics, since the Bates own a lot of "mature cars," as Nathan puts it. And during a double date, Erin Paine and Zach Bates impress their love of meal preparation on Whitney Bates and Chad Paine during a cooking class. Check out the promo videos below.

Friday, June 16, 2017

"I am ecstatic that Bobby even thought of the idea of moving out here..."-Kelly Bates

Tori Bates and boyfriend Bobby Smith say they are planning to wait until after Tori graduates next year to tie the knot, but some of the Bates predict that their plans will chance. In this deleted scene from yesterday's episode, the courting couple goes on a double date with Gil and Kelly...and the conversation turns to engagement rings!

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Tori and Josie return
from spending their spring break in Florida with Bobby, and Bobby comes back
with them to start looking for a job in Tennessee. Gil and Kelly are eager to help, but they
might have ulterior motives.

“My parents…if they sense the tiniest opportunity that they
can keep their daughter here and add you, they go in full-on salesman mode, and
they can make this area sound a lot like heaven, maybe even a little bit
better,” says Zach.

Later, Kelly and Katie take Judson and Jeb to a Brazilian
jiu-jitsu class so they can learn how to rough-house safely.

Meanwhile, Gil takes Bobby to the new church building, which
is still under construction. “Planting a church a few years ago was an endeavor
we never anticipated,” says Gil. He offers Bobby, who will graduate in two
months with a ministry degree, a position helping at the church.

Gil also sits Bobby down and asks what his plans are for his relationship with Tori. They both agree that an engagement conversation will
happen soon. “I just cleaned my shotgun real nice,” Gil jokes.

That evening, Gil and Kelly take Tori and Bobby out on a
double date. “I can picture them being a happily married couple one day,” says
Kelly. “It’s hard for Daddy to picture only because he doesn’t want to do
the parting thing.”

“His dad jokes make him unintimidating because he’s just…corny,”
Tori says of her father.

Bobby shares that some folks at the fire department have offered
up their camper as an apartment for him. Kelly jumps on that opportunity and
lines up a meeting.

The camper is beautiful, and everyone, especially Tori, is
thrilled that it’s looking like Bobby is going to be moving to Tennessee.

Just finished previewing tonight's show, and it's a good one! This week's all-new episode of Bringing Up Bates premieres in less than three hours. Scroll down for showtimes, snapshots, and a promo video, and be sure to come back to the blog later this evening for our recap.

Thursday, June 15, 20178pm ET/7pm CT: Blessings...And New Beginnings?8:30pm ET/7:30pm CT: Road Trip Romance9pm ET/8pm CT: Bobby's Movin' In (NEW)Bobby and Tori are making plans for the future! After he graduates from college, Bobby is hoping to move from Florida to Tennessee to be closer to Tori. Before he makes a final decision, he heads to Knoxville to interview for jobs and look for a place to live. And in an effort to add a little structure to Jud and Jeb's roughhousing, Kelly Jo takes the boys to a martial arts class. Later, Bobby and Tori discuss their future timeline with Gil and Kelly Jo over dinner. Is an engagement on the horizon?9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT: Doctor's Orders10pm ET/9pm CT: Brandon Pops the Question10:30pm ET/9:30pm CT: Shakeups, Steaks, and Showtime

Gil shows Bobby the new church (The Bates are still remodeling and have not yet moved in)

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

In the sneak peek video below, Judson Bates, 6, and Jeb Bates, 5, visit a local martial arts studio to learn Brazilian jiu-jitsu. As you can imagine, they are ecstatic, and Kelly wishes she had enrolled all her kids in self-defense classes.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Another Bates grandchild is approaching her one-year milestone, which means it's time for a photo shoot and cake smash! Zach and Whitney Bates took Kaci Lynn Bates to Taryn Yager's at-home studio and had some beautiful pictures made. Kaci turns one next Tuesday.